Streaming viewership surpasses cable TV for the first time in the US

Engadget ^ | August 18, 2022 | J Fingas

[SamAdams76]

It was seemingly just a matter of time before streaming overtook at least one form of conventional TV, and now that moment has arrived. Nielsen data indicates that streaming TV viewership in the US surpassed cable for the first time this July. About 34.8 percent of viewing time went to shows on internet services, or slightly more than the 34.4 percent for cable. Streams haven't yet overtaken traditional TV as a whole (broadcasts still represented 21.6 percent), but it's clear online video is capturing more attention.

The shift was helped by a flurry of major releases. Netflix had the largest slice of streaming time (8 percent) thanks largely to demand for Stranger Things 4. However, Hulu also claimed a record 3.6 percent thanks to Only Murders in the Building and The Bear. Amazon Prime Video, meanwhile, thrived at 3 percent with help from The Boys' third season and The Terminal List. YouTube and YouTube TV earned a combined 7.3 percent.

Cable's dependence on sports also played a role. While the medium's overall viewership dipped 8.9 percent year-over-year, sports viewing plunged 34 percent without the help of the Summer Olympics and late-running playoffs for the NBA and NHL. Broadcast TV fared even worse, with a 9.8 percent overall drop and 41 percent for sports.

It's not certain streaming will preserve this momentum. Still, this represents a significant milestone that could affect the content you see. Creators and TV providers now know that you're more likely to stream than browse cable channels — don't be surprised if more money goes toward shows that are primarily or exclusively online.

[SamAdams76]

Death of Cable TV is happening. Good riddance to that vast wasteland of utter degradation and junk, as well as the entire crumbling Fake News empire.

View on demand is here to stay. Cut your cable and give your dollars to streaming services that are deserving of your hard earned dollars.

[DIRTYSECRET]

Still no a la carte menu.

[sauropod]

Is it cheaper?

[Maris Crane]

My feminine side wants to ask a question that many will consider ...stupid.

Is it possible to hack ROKU?

Don’t be mean in answering...if anyone wants to answer.

[napscoordinator]

It definitely is. Still this is very dishonest to compare the channels when the networks are on repeats for summer. I guess anything to get their agenda.

[rarestia]

Good riddance to that vast wasteland of utter degradation and junk, as well as the entire crumbling Fake News empire.

Umm... have you seen how split up the streaming services have become? It's more expensive than ever to "watch TV," but the quality is trash.

[rarestia]

Roku the service or the Roku devices?

Roku the service, not likely. Roku is probably invested in security solutions to prevent attacks against their services.

Roku devices, absolutely, but like with any operating system, make sure you keep up on patching.

Roku devices are considered “Internet of Things (IOT),” and IOT is currently a favorite target of a lot of hackers.

[SamAdams76]

That's up to you. I mostly stream free services such as RSBN, Pluto, Freevee, Crackle, Peacock, Tubi, FrankTV, Rumble, YouTube...

You do get some ads but...can't beat free.

You can of course subscribe to paid services like Hulu and Netflix that don't have ads.

[usurper]

Is it cheaper?

A lot but you still need WIFI to use it. Just buy a 'Fire Stick' or ROCU if you don't have a smart TV.

All I pay for is my DSL line. I get all the other content for free including Prime movies with the fire stick.

[SamAdams76]

Not with cable. That would be the death of them as nobody would pay for about 90% of their channels. They are dying anyway but slower because they are making the customers they have subsidize their CNN, MSBNC, MTV, etc.

[SamAdams76]

What does "Ummm..." mean?

I only pay for the Internet and have dozens of free services.

[43north]

Ever since I got St. Elon’s wonderful Starlink service I have been streaming. It costs less than Dish, has much more selection, and I get blazing fast Internet service as well.

[SamAdams76]

I suppose it’s possible. Probably also possible to hack into a cable box.

[TomGuy]

Netflix had the largest slice of streaming time

Netflix became competitive by introducing binge watching, where they would drop all episodes of a season at once. More recently they have gone to weekly episodes on some new series.

Amazon Prime is probably their biggest competitor in streaming. AP does the binge thing of dropping a season of episodes at once. However, they, too, have begun weekly drops on some of their series. AP also has a tendency to bait-and-switch by offering a couple of episodes or seasons and then require subscribing (paying) for more service to finish the series.

Both Netflix and Amazon Prime seem to rely on a lot of foreign series and movies. Some are dubbed in English; others are just closed caption. The quality is waning on both services.

The major networks have tried to jump into streaming, with varying levels of success. CBS has Paramount+. NBC has Peacock. ABC/FOX have HULU. Several of them also support TUBI. Every major outlet is trying to have their own streaming service -- for an additional charge, of course. Even some require a paid subscription to sign up with their service which also have ad-support -- sort of like cable now.

Cable is losing because the number of new series/programming has dwindled, partly because of COVID studio lockdowns. Some series have been reduced to as few a 6 or 8 episodes per year. Cable channels have a tendency to fill in with repeats and then have the audacity to keep raising rates.

[Poser]

YoutubeTV costs the same as cable and provides free cloud DVR without limits. Record everything simultaneously. Play back with 15 second skip ahead and o skip commercials. No cable, TV, or DVR boxes or rent on same. If you have high speed Internet, check it out.

[Responsibility2nd]

That’s exactly what killed cable. For decades they refused to allow customers to pick and choose what they want to watch.

[Kazan]

I would be paying $117 for the basic tier on Spectrum with DVR Service. Now, I am paying $35 for Sling and additional $10 for a VPN and IPTV that gets me more than 14,000 channels, including every US channel. But, it you don’t want to go through the process of getting IPTV, you can get Sling and use an antenna to get local channels.

[Arcadian Empire]

People want to watch shows on demand instead of watching shows at the times that networks choose to broadcast them.

[Kazan]

Spectrum does have an al carte option for internet subscribers. You get all the local channels and 15 cable networks of your choice. It ends up costing $56 a month if you want DVR service.

[sauropod]

Sling never worked for me.

I’m open to it as I now have commiecast.